The popular Peace Dollar produced annually by the Royal Canadian Mint has two new features this year.
The 2024 Peace Dollar, part of the mint’s November releases, features yellow gold plating on the Ultra-High Relief portrait. The allegory includes a new field pattern featuring a stylized Maple Leaf and ribbon inspired by Lady Peace’s uniquely Canadian headpiece.
According to the mint, “Each Peace Dollar is a power representation of Canada’s ongoing dedication to universal rights and world peace. Before becoming prime minister of Canada, Lester B. Pearson was awarded a Nobel Peace Prize in 1957 for organizing the first UN peacekeeping force.” Since then, UN peacekeeping missions, which have included the participation of the Canadian military, have helped de-escalate conflicts and save lives worldwide.
The mint says the “legacy of peace and international co-operation” is reflected in the Peace Dollar’s reverse.
There are three different Peace Dollars available. The first is a $1 one-ounce silver coin, weighing 31.39 grams and 36.15 millimetres in diameter. It has a total mintage of 7,000.
With a diameter of 65.25 mm and weighing 157.6 grams, the second Peace Dollar features five ounces of silver, with only 1,650 minted. The crown jewel in the Peace Dollar collection is the one-ounce pure gold $200 coin with platinum plating. With a mintage of only 650, the 30-mm gold coin weighs 33.17 grams.
Year of the Dragon for 2024 Lunar Year.
Another popular release in November is the annual Lunar Year Series. In 2024, the Chinese Zodiac celebrates the Year of the Dragon.
“The whimsical Dragon on this fine silver coin’s reverse is quietly confident and clever – traits that are associated with those born in the year of the Wood Dragon (2024),” the mint states.
According to the Chinese Zodiac, “the Dragon symbolizes strength and fortune. It is known for making things happen when it focuses its energy. In a year associated with the Wood element, there is the potential for ground-breaking ideas that bring progress and prosperity.”
The Year of the Dragon includes people born in 1928, 1940, 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2002, 2012 and 2024.
With a mintage of 28,888, the Year of the Dragon collectible features one ounce of silver, weighing 31.39 grams and measuring 38 mm. This is the third coin in the mint’s 12-year annual series that began in 2022 with the Year of the Tiger.
At the centre of the snowflake lies a clear crystal that sparkles in the light..
The November releases also include the mint’s first hexagon coin, which introduces a six-sided shape that complements the six-armed snow crystal on the reverse. Called the Snowflake, the centre of the reverse features a clear crystal that sparkles in the light and mimics sparkling snow. The one-ounce silver coin weighs 32.41 grams and measures 42 mm. It has a total mintage of 8,500.
Other new releases include:
- An Ultra-High Relief gold coin with a luxurious 0.23-carat “DeBeers Ideal Heart” diamond. According to the mint, “The fifth and final Purley Brilliant series coin features one of the most difficult diamond shapes to achieve: a heart cut, renowned for its superior brilliance, spectacular fire, and perfect symmetry from clef to point.” With a face value of $200, the 30-mm coin weighs 33.17 grams, and only 350 will be minted. Designed by artists Chris and Rosina Reid of Three Degrees Creative, the diamond is sourced from a diamond mine in the North West Territories.
An Ultra-High Relief gold coin with a luxurious 0.23-carat “DeBeers Ideal Heart” diamond.
- A 2023-dated $50 silver coin entitled Allegory of Peace is another RCM first. It not only features an
It not only features an antique finish but at the core is a highly intricate, gold-plated 3D allegory cast in pure silver.
antique finish but at the core is a highly intricate, gold-plated 3D allegory cast in pure silver. The mint says most silver castings are sterling (92.5 per cent), but this one is pure silver, and the craftsmanship included “careful hand polishing used to achieve a high shine to bring out the details.” With a limited mintage of 1,250, the 65.25-mm silver coin with gold plating cast in pure silver weighs 99.3 grams (the cast weighs 32.75 grams).
- Limited to just 400 coins, the remaining release for November is a pure silver kilo coin entitled the Pulsating Maple Leaf. Enhanced with pulsating technology, the mint says within the Maple Leaf is an array of sub-millimetre-scale mirrors that have been micro-engineered and precisely engraved to create the illusion of movement. The 102.1-mm coin weighs 1,006 grams.
The obverse on the November releases includes an effigy of the late Queen Elizabeth. For more details, visit mint.ca. Some of the coins are also available at coinstampsupplies.com.